The government Monday set up second COVID19 collection center in southern Kashmir’s Anantnag district. The step followed a report by Greater Kashmir in its Sunday’s edition on sluggish testing in the district.
Only132 persons from the district having 1.5 million population, had been testedtill last week. The number of tested persons was abysmally low as compared toother districts in Kashmir.
Thedistrict along with neighbouring Kulgam had earlier only one collection centerat GMC Anantnag.
However,for the past few days, the samples of the suspected covid19 patients fromKulgam are directly sent to GMC Srinagar.
“Weestablished another collection center at Trauma hospital Bijbehara today andthis will lessen the burden on GMC Anantnag,” Deputy Commissioner AnantnagBashir Ahmad Dar told Greater Kashmir.
Hesaid, the testing is now going to be aggressive and even the samples ofasymptomatic patients with no travel or contact history were being collected.”In the newly established collection center which is also the covid19designated hospital, at least 41 samples were collected today only,” the DCinformed.
Hesaid as they will get the Rapid Test Kits the testing would further be gearedup.
Meanwhile,at least sixty samples, according to doctors were collected in the last twodays from GMC Anantnag and their reports are awaited.
Sofar, in the entire district, only one patient from Check-Wangund village ofQazigund has tested positive. The area falls in the medical jurisdiction ofneighbouring Kulgam.